1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to highly functional fermented fodder composition and a process for preparing the same composition. More specifically, the present invention relates to highly functional fermented fodder composition which enhances immunity of domestic animals from diseases without further addition of veterinary medicines such as antibiotic agent or antifungal agent; induces increase of body weight of animals to increase income of livestock farmers; and provides, after slaughter, excellent fleshy substance which contains rich amount of essential unsaturated fatty acids, particularly, .omega.-3 type fatty acids, the fodder being prepared by natural fermentation at room temperature, needless of inoculating individual strain for fermentation or of temperature control; and a process for preparing the same fodder composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, problems in the field of pig breeding, poultry farming and stock farming include death of livestock owing to veterinary diseases, and reduction of productivity. In order to overcome such problems, conventional functional livestock fodder, as in Korean Patent Publication No. 95-009944 (title of the invention: Fodder for animals which comprises antibiotic mixture of gentamycin and lincomycin or clindamycin, and ingredients therefor, and beverage containing the same) was prepared by blending or administrating antibiotic agent or antibacterial agent, or live bacterial preparations to conventional fodder.
However, such method of adding antibiotic agent or the like to fodder composition causes livestock abuse of veterinary drugs or harmful antibiotic agent, which results in loss of immune ability to diseases and requires more active antibiotics, thereby inducing substantial loss of self immune ability, and chronic diseases. In addition, excess use of antibiotics occasionally remains in meat or products of livestock to make them unsuitable as food.
In order to endow the meat of livestock or products such as eggs or milk with functions, conventional functional fodder contained vitamins or fish powder having .omega.-3 type fatty acids to known fodder to give nutrient or function to livestock. However, such method is inconvenient as individual functional ingredients should be added to conventional fodder, as well as it increases cost of fodder owing to the ingredients. Besides, as the ratio of transfer from the functional ingredients to livestock or its product is so low that functions cannot be substantially given. Further, the method occasionally causes problem of fishy odor in meat of the products such as milk or eggs, owing to use of fish powder or fish oil.
Thus, in order to prevent diseases of livestock and to give functions to the product of livestock, it is rather preferred to optimize body condition of livestock to increase self immune ability than to administrate individual functional ingredient or harmful chemicals such as antibiotics; and it is preferred to make the nutrients of fodder completely absorbed to increase content of unsaturated fatty acids such as .omega.-3 fatty acid being good for human body but decrease content of saturated fatty acids which are harmful to human body, without further addition of functional ingredients such as fish oil.
The process for preparing conventional fermented fodder comprised inoculating enzyme preparation, yeast or other fermenting strains on residual rice, crushed rice fodder, rice chaff, or the like, and fermenting it in a fermenting apparatus at a temperature of about 60.degree. C. or more for a certain time. However, such process is inconvenient because individual enzyme preparation or fermenting strain should be inoculated, and the process requires a certain fermenting apparatus, and the fermenting condition is not easy to control so that the mixture is apt to be corrupted. In order to solve the problem, it is necessary to remove harmful corruptive strains which exist in rice chaff or the like, and increase fermenting strains to proceed fermentation, without individual inoculation of enzyme preparations or fermenting strains, or fermenting apparatus, or inconvenient operation such as control of temperature condition.
The present inventors found that animals and plants keep their lives by metabolism of cells (basic units of organisms) which exchange external material and optimize internal environment through cell membrane, and that preventing loss of cell membrane and activating immune cell action improves immune ability of organisms and promotes uptake of external nutrient. Thus, the inventors constituted silicon compounds (which is an essential mineral component and activates cells in vivo), and sodium and potassium compounds (which are main media of material transfer through cell membrane), in the forms suitable to activate metabolism in vivo, and supplied those compounds, so that they intented to develop a fodder composition which can increase immune ability of livestock against diseases and maximize uptake of nutrient.